Sunday, 10 November 2013

TV presenter Dan Snow is ill informed

TV presenter and self-styled 'historian' Dan Snow, whose goggle-box rise to presenter stardom surely owes nothing to his more famous C4 newsreader father, thinks religion should play no part in our annual act of remembrance at the Cenotaph, or in hundreds of other, local acts of remembrance. This morning we will see the Bishop of London process with the head of the Catholic church in England, the Chief Rabbi, the convenor of the Church of Scotland, the president of the Methodists, the Chief Imam and so on. He will say a few very Anglican words that will have none of the other clerics storming off in a hissy-fit of doctrinal difference. A song of the hymn variety will be sung and even the non-Christians will mouth the words along with everyone else. What young Mr Snow fails to twig either from ignorance or lack of learning is that this is the British way of inclusive compromise; his own suggestion to ban it all is the sectarian, bigoted and divisive one, distinctly un-British and unknown to our caucus of public ceremonial.

Already in some planning office in Whitehall you can be sure they are discussing dropping the Convenor of the Wee Wee Frees (down to just 76 members after the latest schism) and inviting the National Secretary of the Secular Society in his place. Unlike either the Germans or the Americans, who use particular religious symbols on the national gravemarkers of their war dead, our CWGC headstones are as inclusive as one could wish, covering Christians (nominally the vast majority) Jews, Hindus, Moslems, Daoists, African polytheists and yes, even atheists with equal honour.

10 comments:

Anonymous
said...

A society, a country - which does not respect and mark the dead, at this time especially, the men and women who it sent out to do battle on its behest - is one which has fallen into the ways of barbarity.

I often think, since Thatcher and Major, those pols now and in the recent past who lay wreaths are just there, necessarily an act of obligation but through no sense of duty, they remember not clearly either.It is my duty to honour the dead, the fallen - they did so for my country and for me, I recognize that and mark it by showing my deep respect, and I wear my poppy proud.The solemnity of a service is marked by Christian prayers, Christianity, is an inclusive fold and all are welcomed as we are all God's creations, and as the service does evince. Britain, this land is still Christian.

Dan Snow, a man who is lost but seeking acknowledgement of his penetrating discernment and confirmation he desires - in the oxygen of publicity. As a historian, he really should know better but the example set by his father - did set him in an impoverished stead.We understand your dismay Dan, and we forgive your yet immature incomprehension, let time philosophizing and through experience colour your life.

In the end, we must all lay down our 'arms', this is the day to reflect, for sober ceremony and to be at one, together in memorial, for, and in spirit with the fallen.

If they want to remove anything they should remove the politicians - the ones who send our brave soldiers overseas to fight for ...... what? Certainly not the British peoples' interests - usually only to satisfy the whims of politicians.They are hypocrites of the worst kind - Bliar being the epitome of hypocrisy.

Yes, this boy and people like him are lost. It is hard to imagine what this life can signify to those who acknowledge only materiality. Their emptiness is terrific, as H. Singh and Billy Bunter might have had it!

At this time of year, I remember my two uncles, both of whom lied about their age ... the older went through the Somme from day 2, & the only injury he recived was in a troop-train smash on the way home, in 1918.The younger, well, was at Cambrai ... emigated to Aus in 1922, joined up again in 1939 to have another go at "Jerry" but ended up in the far east - captured on Sumatra in March 1942 - thought dead - resurfaced in SIgapore - having survived "The railway" in 1945.In WWII my father was conscripted to be a "civil servant" - a technical civil servant, manufacturing explosives in large quantities ....